The Stand Sports Freshers’ Guide #1: The Badminton Club

With Freshers’ Week on the horizon, here at The Stand, we want to help you make the most informed decisions when it comes to deciding which sports club you want to join. Throughout this week, we will be posting one article each day about one of the sports clubs at St Andrews. First up, badminton…

Ah, badminton. The staple of secondary school PE lessons and the sport at which all old people are weirdly good. I’m quite excited to be writing about the University of St Andrews Badminton Club. This is, in part, because it gives me an excuse to mention my narrow victory over a former River City cast member this summer at my local badminton club. Gloating aside, I’m excited because it gives me a chance to comment on the rather more extraordinary achievements of one of St Andrews’ most impressive set-ups.

Speaking to Second Team Captain Krista Plociennik, it is immediately clear that the Badminton Club is one of the best organised in town. The Club combines its on court successes with an extensive portfolio of charity fundraising and a commitment to community outreach throughout St Andrews and the rest of Fife. There is hardly a sense however, that the Club is spreading itself too thin. With 70 members in 2013/14, it is fast becoming one of the all-round powerhouses of St Andrews sport.

On the court, while the first team was one of the dominant forces in last year’s SSS and local DABA competitions, central to the Club’s stated objectives is a push to “accommodate members of all levels”. Experienced campaigners are expected to pair up with beginners at weekly training sessions, and Club coach, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Dan Travers is dedicated to helping players of all abilities to improve their skills. Whether you want to play competitively in the SSS League, hone your technique against local opposition or just have some fun at training, the Badminton Club has plenty to offer.

Off the court, it seems like there is hardly anything that the Club doesn’t get involved in. Charity fundraising has become a central facet of its character, with its annual singles badminton tournament this year that raised money for the Umoja women’s charity. The very fact that members were asked to vote for which charity they wanted to support certainly seems to epitomise the Club’s ethos. ‘The attitude’, Krista says, “is very much that the committee is running the Club on the behalf of members…everything they do is for you!”

The transparency between committee and members is certainly symptomatic of what is clearly a hugely friendly and welcoming club. Despite its obvious successes both on and off the court, the Club displays absolutely no air of self-importance. There is instead only great modesty, a desire to be inclusive and an unmistakable sense of togetherness fostered by weekly socials, outings to Sinners and the tradition of members coming along to support those competing in matches. To anyone pondering their decision, the message from the Club is clear – “Give it a go – you won’t regret it!”

If you like what you’ve read about the Badminton Club, they are holding a ‘give it a go’ session on Wednesday 10th September in the sports hall. A slot for beginners will run from 9 00 – 10 00 while more experienced players should come from 10 – 00 – 11 – 00. If you can’t wait until then to find out more, you can find them all over the web: 

https://twitter.com/stsbadders 

http://saintsbadminton.wix.com/saintsbadminton

https://www.facebook.com/saintsbadminton

https://www.facebook.com/groups/saintsbadminton/